Shorts Review: Non Playable Character Episode 10

What do you get when you follow an non-playable character in a game that is just full of npc car fodder? We get this, that’s what.

So, before we get into the episode, let’s catch up to speed about NPC. NPC follows some idiot named Mike, who just watched his lady friend get ran over by Rico. You learn how this guy is just a “Bad Luck Charlie,” with getting his car stolen, and the cops giving up entirely way too easily when Rico runs.

Now onto the current episode. Mike’s plan to get revenge on Rico gets bolstered by another NPC who got modded out to look like Iron Man’s suit from Iron Man 2. So, Mike heads off to Mod City, and meets up with Khail the elephant man in a porn shop. With normal porn shop etiquette, Mike whispers, but the elephant man gets him to speak up. Mike tells him that he wants to look like Rico’s cousin Larry. He gets the mod, and sounds exactly like him. Rico gets Mike in the car, and they’re on their way to kill the man who killed everyone in Rico’s homeland.  He has him dead to rights, but lets him go. This leads Mike to learn more about Rico, and learn to love him. Fast forward to Mike’s wedding, and Rico survives an assassination plot by getting Mike shot. Rico runs off, leaving Mike there to die.

When I first heard of this, I was very dismissive of NPC, because I’m not the biggest fan of Grand Theft Auto. But holy shit, this show is hilarious. In the hundreds of hours of just driving around, mowing down scrubs in the street, I actually asked myself a very pertinent question: “Why have we never gotten a game on some generic NPC? There has to be a story on one of these.” Thankfully, Machinima comes through. Mike does what any guy would do with NYPD-like cops: get some damn revenge. This gets the feel of GTA, but adds the sorely needed comedic relief. This episode was fantastic. Next week is the season finale, and will be all action. I’m glad to catch this just in time, because Machinima hit this out of the park.